|
|
Ivan Radenovic, Panellinios BC
|
 His team faces maybe the toughest road to survival in European basketball at the moment, but before the Eurocup regular season ends, take note of the remarkable four games played so far by Ivan Radenovic of Panellinios BC. A season after he shined in the ULEB Cup Final Eight as a rookie with Akasvayu Girona, not only does Radenovic lead all 350-plus Eurocup players in index rating average, but he does so despite coming off the bench for Panellinios. What's more, his average of 29 index rating points in just 26 minutes per game is the highest in either of Europe's top two competitions since 2001. And when his performance rating is calculated on a per-minute basis, not even the greatest stats collectors of the decade - Anthony Parker, Arvydas Sabonis, Dejan Tomasevic, Mirsad Turkcan - can touch him. But with Panellinios facing two games against the first-place teams in its group, Radenovic says he would trade any individual accomplishments for just 10 more points - since his team's three Eurocup losses have come by a combined total of 9. "Even though I have played good, the team is what this is all about," Radenovic told Eurocupbasketball.com. "We're struggling, but we are working to come out of it as soon as possible."
Ivan, congratulations on a great season so far. Are you surprised to be leading the Eurocup in performance index rating as a non-starter?
"Honestly, it doesn't really matter to me whether I am coming off the bench or starting, as long as I can perform well. The only thing that worries me now is that our team is not doing too well. Even though I have played good, the team is what this is all about. We're struggling, but we're working to come out of it as soon as possible."
Believe it or not, your numbers so far in four games compare with the best all decade for a Euroleague or Eurocup regular season, names like Sabonis, Tomasevic, Parker. How does that feel?
"Well, you kind of surprise me with those numbers. I'm not usually that much into stats. It certainly feels good to hear my name with theirs, though. They are basically legends of European and world basketball, so it's an honor to be mentioned at all with them."
 What is it about this season that accounts for your jump in numbers?
"I had a different role in Girona. It was my first year back in Europe, I was the only rookie there, and I came from straight out of college and maybe they weren't used to having guys that new to Spain playing a lot. So they put me in different role and I had to fit in. I was basically a team player on a team that played team basketball. I am now in a different position, a different role and a different team. I am trying to fit in here, too, and so far, so good."
Tell us about your transition to Greece following your first pro season with Girona of Spain?
"Playing in Greece is a little different, for sure. Out here, it's more physical basketball, played at a slower pace. Spain was closer to college or NBA basketball, with running and gunning, a lot of fastbreaks and quick shots. It was exciting basketball there, and here you've got to play smart and make the right moves without too many mistakes. In Spain, a team could have up to 20 turnovers and still win the game. Here, no."
You were one of the top performers for Girona at last season's ULEB Cup Final Eight? What kind of confidence from that experience carried over to this season?
"Definitely, I have built this season on what I did really well at the end of last season. Last year, doing well in those games in Torino helped my confidence a lot. I was playing good when the season finished and I am just continuing to do the same things this year."
Panellinios looked real strong early this season, especially beating Panathinaikos in the Greek League. How much did the subsequent injury to Jurica Golemac hurt the team heading into the Eurocup?
"When he got hurt, we start going downhill a little. It's normal after a team wins seven or so games in a row, as we did, to take a step back. And we had injuries to go along with Jurica's, losing Anthony Grundy for a couple games, too. All of that slowed us down, but you've got to bounce back, and we're still in the process of doing that."
 Three losses by nine points just about says it all for Panellinios in the Eurocup so far. How much bad luck has been involved in this 1-3 record?
"Definitely, losing the opener at home against Aris didn't help at all. It was a tough game and a tough loss, Then tough the road loss to Turk Telekom, we played pretty well, but that was understandable. That's one of best teams in Turkey and they invest a lot in their team each year, so it's very hard against them, especially on their court. Our last loss, in Israel against Bnei Hasharon by two points, was a bad one. That's the reason we are where we are now. That was the worst thing we could have done."
How do you and your teammates approaching the last two games, against the two teams tied for first place, Aris and Turk Telekom?
"Well, we've got to win both games. We have to go against the two teams ahead of us and we have to wait to see what else happens in their other games, against Bnei. That's our only chance, to win and to hope."
|
|
Monday, January 05, 2009
Frank Lawlor, Eurocupbasketball.com
|
 Print Send Share
|
|